Size: 7.5” x 7.5” on 8.5” x 11”

Signed & stamped in verso

Shape and line. It was a primary lesson I learned early at Brooks Institute. To look for shape and line is to look for the building blocks of a scene. I pulled my car over and walked on top of a short berm that lined the causeway I was on. The jetty like structure in the distance extended out into the water and I knew right off what I wanted the print to be. A single black strip with no detail and all the surrounding structure to be lighter in tonality paired with a reflection of cloud in the water. I worked backwards from this finished idea to figure out what filtration I needed, what exposure to set and a quick note on adding a bit more development.

That is the technical background, the how. What is the why? Why did I choose this. I was struck by the graphic nature of the distant jetty, it looked like a single brush stroke from a painting my father would have done years ago. The background done with a soft gray paint wash, abstract and yet direct. I’m often drawn to the austere landscapes, the reduction of visual noise.

Location: Samish Island Washington

Technical Info: Hasselblad, Ilford Delta 100 BW film, Zeiss 120mm, No. 11 minus-blue, developed in Kodak X-tol 1:1 N+1.